Pasta e Fagioli Festival (Organic Spelt and Pasta e Fagioli Festival)

A community festival in the heart of Abruzzo

The Pasta e Fagioli Festival, also known as the Organic Spelt and Pasta e Fagioli Festival, is the most anticipated summer event in Montebello sul Sangro, a tiny village of just a few dozen inhabitants perched at an altitude of over 800 meters in the province of Chieti, Abruzzo. For over thirty years, the event has transformed the village square into a large communal table, where Pro Loco volunteers prepare and serve the iconic dish of local peasant tradition for free.

Pasta e fagioli and organic spelt

The undisputed star is the pasta e fagioli, cooked according to a home-style recipe and offered to everyone, residents and holidaymakers alike, directly in the square. Alongside the main dish, there is organic spelt salad, prepared with locally grown spelt: an ancient grain that speaks to the agricultural heritage of this corner of the Abruzzo hinterland and gives the festival its historic second name. These are simple, genuine dishes, an expression of a sustainable, humble cuisine that has remained vibrant here over time.

Music, dancing, and conviviality

The festival is about more than just gastronomy. As evening falls, the Festival Committee organizes an evening of music and dancing that brings the square to life until late at night, attracting visitors from the nearby towns of the Val di Sangro. It is a meeting point for the entire community, where the small village fills with voices, music, and joy, keeping the convivial spirit of Abruzzo village festivals alive.

A village to discover

Attending the festival is also the perfect opportunity to explore Montebello sul Sangro, one of the smallest municipalities in Abruzzo, nestled in a charming hilly and mountainous landscape just a stone's throw from the Sangro River. The event, with free admission, is an authentic example of how village festivals can preserve gastronomic traditions, a sense of belonging, and hospitality in the Abruzzo region.